Tower crane with loading boom



Sept. 27, 1966 L. DEIMUND ETAL 3,275,162

TOWER CRANE WITH LOADING BOOM Filed June '28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l y; /m/ENToRs:

,M gil L/NDEA P. DE/MUND, li RICHARD N. oE/Mu/vo,

Sept. 27, 1966 l.. Dl-:IMUND l-:TAL

TOWER CRANE WITH LOADING BOOM Filed June '28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FPT'TORNEYS Sept. 27, 1966 DEIMUND ETAL.

TOWER CRANE WITH LOADING BOOM Filed June Y28, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet $5 /NVEA/TORS: L//DER DEIMUND. UNDER P. DE/MU/vo,

RICH/:IRD N. DEl/WUNDI 5v JW, *m

H-r ToR/VE V6 United States Patent O 3,275,162 TWER CRANE WITH LGADING BOM Linder Deimund, 403 N. Main St.; Linder P. Deimund,

Rte. 1, Box 310; and Richard N. Deimund, 227 N. Middie, all of Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Filed .lune 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,293 7 Ciaims. (Cl. 212-76) This invention relates to improvements in tower cranes and in particular is concerned with a tower crane having means for moving and unloading a bucket in a rectalinear movement to avoid swinging.

In the past, unloading cranes have conventionally taken the form of large cranes which swing on a vertical axis and in which the clamshell bucket in the loading and unloading operation swings in an arc about the crane cab or other pivot point. Such swinging movement is not only dangerous in high winds and the like, because of the unpredictability, but is further quite severe on the operating parts, and is damaging to the restraining sheaves and other components.

By means of this invention there has been provided a tower crane which may be constructed on a barge, wharf, or other area, in which there is a top tower portion that extends to one side of the tower crane, and support, by means of a boom and appropriate rigging, a clamshell bucket. This bucket can be lowered to one side of the tower crane to unload sand or other material from the barge, and then the bucket can be moved along a travelling sheave into the interior of the crane and then unloaded into a hopper on a conveyor or waiting truck and the like. Through the construction of this tower crane, the high hoisting of material from the barge in conventional rotary cranes to the receiving hopper is avoided, and the clamshell bucket is obviated from striking the barge cargo box at an angle. Further, the cycle of operation is shortened and its efliciency is increased to the point where a higher capacity can be handled than with other types of cranes with the same size of clamshell buckets. Additionally, the operator is provided with a station in the tower to provide for close observation of the material to be moved from the barge or other unloading area, and at a position where hec an see the full operation of the clamshell bucket at all times. This permits cleaning of all materials from the barge more efficiently.

As a further consequence of this invention, the tower can be simply erected in sections. This permits rapid erection or dismantling and movement to another area in only a few hours. The tower crane is quite rugged and can be operated safely and efciently.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows, and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only, however, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a top plan view of the tower crane mounted upon a crane barge situated next to a barge to be unloaded;

FIGURE 2 is a view in s-ide elevation from the right side of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a View in front elevation.

ICC

Referring now to the drawings, the tower crane is generally indicated by the reference numeral 20. As its major components, it is comprised of a lower tower 22, an upper tower 24, which supports a boom 26, a clamshell bucket 28 supported from a tandem sheave 30, and an operators stat-ion 32, providing for visual observation of the unloading operations.

The lower tower 22 is mounted upon a barge 34, although it will be understood that the crane may be mounted upon any suitable base, such as a wharf or other area. The tower is composed of conventional girders, and is positioned generally over a centrally located hopper 36 to which the clamshell bucket 28 is adapted to discharge. A conveyor 38 is mounted underneath the hopper. The operators station 32 is positioned at the front of the lower tower and to one side of a clamshell bucket opening, generally designated by the reference numeral 4i). This opening is defined by lower tower sections 42 and 44, which are spaced from one another at the front, but are connected at the rear by cross braces 46 and 48. The operator station is reached by a stairway 50.

The upper towel 24 is comprised of two tower sections 52 and 54, which are connected respectively on top of the lower tower sections 42 and 44. At the top of the upper tower, sections 52 and 54 are connected by a cross beam 56.

The boom 26 is comprised of two boom parts 58 and 60, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The rear ends of these booms are connected to the upper tower portions 52 and 54, respectively, and the front ends support :a swing line sheave 62. Boom guy lines 64 connect the front end of the boom to the cross frame of the upper tower.

The tandem sheave is suspended from the top of the tower by tandem sheave suspension lines 66 and operated by a swing line 68, which is connected at one end to the sheave 30, as shown in FIGURE 2, and then runs around a motor operator swing l-ine hoist 70, :as best shown in FIGURE 2. From there the swing line 68 passes around a head block 74 mounted from the cross frame and then down around the swing line sheave 62 to be fastened to the forward end of the tandem sheave 30.

In order to raise and lower the clamshell bucket 28', a hold line 76 is employed. This hold line passes through the tandem sheave around the head block 74, past the deflector sheave 78, to the motor operated hoist 80. Likewise, .a closing line for the clamshell bucket to open and close it in conventional fashion is employed, which is identified by the reference numeral 82. This line likewise passes through the tandem sheave around the head block 74, past the deector sheave 78 to a closing line hoist 84.

Operation The operation of the tower crane of this invention will be best understood by referring to an unloading operation when the crane is positioned upon the crane barge 34 adjacent a barge 86, shown in broken lines. The crane is operated by the operator to play out the hold line 76 until the clamshell bucket, in the open position, is placed in contact with gravel, or other material that is carried by the barge that is desired to be unloaded. The operator then operates the closing line 82 to close the clamshell bucket with its charge of material, and then plays in the holding line to elevate the clamshell bucket 28 to approximately the position shown in FIGURE 2. The

swing line 68 is then operated by operating the swing line hoist to move the swing line connected to the right end of the tandem sheave 30, shown at FIGURE 2, to the right. The tandem sheave and the bucket w-ill then move in the direction of the dotted lines to the final position shown in dotted lines in FIGURES 2. This operation places the clamshell bucket over the conveyor 36 where, by appropriate operation of the closing line, the clamshell bucket is discharged to unload material into the hopper 36 and upon the conveyor 38 positioned underneath it. The material may then be discharged to any appropriate point.

In the foregoing operation, the holding and closing lines '76 and S2 will move from contact with the rear sheave of tandem sheave 30 when the bucket 28` is in the position shown in the full lines in FIGURE 2, to contact with the front sheave when the bucket is in the position shown in the dotted lines. It will be understood that when the bucket is in the unloading position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2, it will be raised or lowered as desired by operation of the holding line 76.

When the clamshell bucket is desired to be returned to another unloading operation from the barge 86, it is simply returned by operating the swing line hoist 70 to cause a pulling action on the swing line 68 connected to the front of the tandem sheave to move it 'back to the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2. Then the unloading operation is repeated as previously described.

In the loading and unloading operations, the operator, from the operator booth 32, has a lbirds-eye view of all the operations. He is situated very closely to the barge that is to be unloaded in a position where he may see into the interior of -the contents very simply. Further, in the unloading operation over the hopper, he is higher `:and to one side of the hopper, and can have visual inspection of all the component parts. Further, when the bucket is moved from the loading operation over the barge to be worked upon back to an unloading position over the hopper on the crane barge, the ent-ire operation may be carried out with practically a back `and `forth reciprocal movement only of the bracket, since the arc of movement from the top of the tower is very flat, due to the long radius of the tandem sheave suspension line running to the t-op of the tower. This movement merely suspends the bucket from the tandem sheave from which the Ibucket moves relatively only up and down, and there is no swinging movement around `a vertical axis, such as in a conventional crane. Accordingly, wear and tear is minimized upon the component parts, and swinging is to all practical purposes eliminated.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope `and teaching of this invention as delined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A crane comprising a tower, a boom supported from said tower and extending over a crane loading area, and 'means for moving a clamshell bucket from the end of said lboom through 1an -opening in the interi-or of said tower to an unloading area, said means comprising a tandem sheave and bucket holding and closing lines connected to the bucket and passing through the tandem 4sheave and over sheave means at the top of the tower to separate hoist means for the holding and closing lines, :and said tandem sheave being suspended from the top fof the tower by a suspension line.

2. A crane comprising a tower, a boom supported from said tower and extending over .a crane loading area, and means for moving a clamshell bucket from the end of said boom through an opening -in the interior of said tower to an unloading area, said means comprising a tandem sheave connected to a sheave swing line, and means for operating the swing line to move the tandem sheave .back and forth from the end of said boom to the interior of said tower, and bucket holding and closing lines connected to the bucket and passing through the tandem sheave, and over sheave -means at the top of the tower to separate hoist means for the holding and closing lines, and said tandem sheave being suspended from the top of the tower by a suspension line.

3. A crane comprising a tower, a boom supported from said tower and extending over a crane loading area, and means for moving a clamshell -bucket from the end of said boom through an opening in the interior of said tower to an unloading area, said means comprising a tandem sheave connected to a sheave swing line, and means for -operating the swing line to move the tandem sheave back and forth from the end of said boom to the interior of said tower, and bucket holding and closing lines connected to the bucket and passing through the tandem sheave, and over sheave means at the top of the tower to separate hoist means for the holding and closing lines, and said tandem sheave being suspended from the top of the tower by a suspension line, and an operators booth in said tower adjacent said opening and adjacent the path of travel of said bucket permitting Visual observation of the loading and unloading operations.

4. A crane comprising a tower, a boom supported from said tower and extending over a crane loading area, and means for moving a clamshell Ibucket from the end of said boom through an opening in the interior of said tower to an unloading area, said means comprising a tandem sheave, a sheave swing line connected to the rear of said tandem sheave and rigged over a swing line hoist in said tower positioned at the rear of said opening and passing over a sheave at the top of the tower said tandem sheave being suspended from the top of the tower by a suspension line and a sheave at the free end of said boom to a connection at the front of said tandem sheave and bucket holding and closing lines connected to the bucket and passing through the tandem sheave to hoist means.

5. A crane comprising a tower, a boom supported from said tower and extending over a crane loading area, and means rfor moving a clamshell bucket from the end of said boom through an opening in the interior of said tower to an unloading area, said means comprising a tandem sheave, a sheave swing line connected to the rear of said tandem sheave and rigged over a swing line hoist in said tower positioned at the rear of said opening and passing over a sheave at the top of the tower and a sheave at the free end of said 'boom to a connection at the front of said tandem sheave, and lbucket holding and closing lines connected to the bucket and passing through the tandem sheave, and over sheave means at the top of the tower to separate hoist means for the holding and closing lines, and said tandem sheave being suspended from the top of the tower by a suspension line.

6. A crane comprising a tower having a lower portion provided with a front opening, an upper tower portion inclining -forwardly of the lower portion, a boom having a rear end connected to a medial section of the upper tower :and a liront end connected by guy means to the top of said tower, said front end of the boom extending over a crane loading area, and means for moving a clamshell bucket from the end of said boom through an opening in the interior of said tower to an unloading area, said means comprising a tandem sheave, a sheave swing line connected to the rear of said tandem sheave and rigged over a swing line hoist in said tower positioned at the rear of said opening and passing over a sheave `at the top of the tower and a `sheave at the free end of said boom to a connection at the front of said tandem sheave, and bucket holding and closing lines connected to the bucket and passing through the tandem sheave to hoist means.

'7. A crane comprising a tower having a lower portion provided with a front opening, an rupper tower portion inclining forwardly of the lower portion, :a boom having a rear end connected to a medial section of the upper tower and a front end connected by guy means to the top of said tower, said frontend of the boom extending over a crane loading area, and means for moving a clamshell bucket from the end of said boom through an opening in the interior of said tower to an unloading area, `said means comprising a tandem sheave, `a sheave swing line connected to the rear of said tandem sheave and rigged over a swing line hoist in said tower positioned at the rear of said opening and passing over a sheave at the top of the tower and a sheave at the tree end of said boom to -a connection at the front of said tandem sheave, 10

and bucket holding and closing lines connected to the [bucket `and passing :through the tandem sheave, :and over sheave means at the top lof the tower to separate hoist means for the holding .and closing lines, and said tandem sheave being suspended from the top of the tower by a suspension line, and an operators booth in said tower adjacent said opening and adjacent the path of travel of said bucket permitting visual observation o-f the loading yand unloading operations.

5 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 167,863 9/ 1875 Wetherill 212-76 388,022 8/1888 Byrne 212-76 721,317 2/1903l Miller 212-56 902,839 11/1908 Seaton 212-94 1,228,344 5/1917 Miller et al. 212-76 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner. 15 A. L. LEVINE, A. H. NIELSEN, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A CRANE COMPRISING A TOWER, A BOOM SUPPORTED FROM SAID TOWER AND EXTENDING OVER A CRANE LOADING AREA, AND MEANS FOR MOVING A CLAMSHELL BUCKET FROM THE END OF SAID BOOM THROUGH AN OPENING IN THE INTERIOR OF SAID TOWER TO AN UNLOADING ARE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A TANDEM SHEAVE AND BUCKET HOLDING AND CLOSING LINES CONNECTED TO THE BUCKET AND PASSING THROUGH THE TANDEM SHEAVE AND OVER SHEAVE MEANS AT THE TOP OF THE TOWER 